


Interspecies Complications

by woolzine125



Series: Interspecies Complications [1]
Category: Homestuck, Rick and Morty
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, Crack Treated Seriously, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Implied Autistic Character, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Slow Burn, excessive use of ellipsis, hint hint, how do I write dialogue, its eridan, morty is jealous of eridan lol, what have I created
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:02:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25941793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woolzine125/pseuds/woolzine125
Summary: Eridan joins the Smith residence after proving his intelligence to Rick on a mission, but will he be able to get close to the youngest Smith, or are they destined to remain acquaintances? Rated Mature for strong language, crossposted on Wattpad under the same name
Relationships: Eridan Ampora & Rick Sanchez, Eridan Ampora/Morty Smith, Rick Sanchez & Morty Smith
Series: Interspecies Complications [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883929
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short, they'll get longer as the story progresses.

The two moons overhead illuminated the soft Alternian soil in the clear night. The odd mixture of pink light from the larger moon and green light from its smaller counterpart illuminated the two shadowy figures maneuvering between the twisting trees. Just like the moons, one was dwarfed by the size of the other. They could faintly be heard conversing with each other on soft tongues.

"Uh, Rick? Why are we here again? This place is kinda putting me on edge."

"I'm here to get wrecked and you're gonna help me. Now stop being a pussy and follow me. That sopor shit isn't gonna find itself."

"Aren't there like, a million other ways for you to get high that don't involve putting our lives at risk?"

Rick sent the boy a cold glare that shut him up fast. No matter how much Morty wanted to stand up to his grandfather's cruelty, the words always died in his mouth when he was on the receiving end of the man's anger. "Gotta watch out for the locals, Morty. They're fucking crazy. They'll probably kill us on sight just because we're not the same species."

"You're not helping me at all, Rick."

The pair continued walking in silence for a few minutes before Morty piped up again. "What is this sopor stuff supposed to be anyways? You're not giving me very much to go off of here."

Rick sighed in annoyance. All he wanted to do was get his quarry and leave, but Morty was making this very difficult for him. "It's a bright green slime-like substance that trolls sleep in. It has a calming effect when in contact with skin, but acts as a hallucinogenic when consumed. Is that good enough or do you want me to dumb it down for you?"

"Geez, I just asked a question. Stop busting my balls."

They were about to continue walking before a rustling sound emanating from the wild overgrowth stopped them in their tracks.

"Did you hear tha-"

"Shut up!"

They decided it was just the wind after a few seconds of silence. They were about to continue moving before an enormous white creature came bounding out of the bushes. It looked like a cross between a lion and a panther and was twice the size.

"Move!" Rick screamed. They managed to get out of the beast's way just before it trampled them, but it didn't turn around for another go. It just kept running into the dark and seemingly endless forest.

-

Eridan was having a bad night. He was more inattentive than usual due to his lack of sleep and this caused his prey to escape from him for the third time in a row. His most recent failure was a mixture between a pouncebeast and a roarbeast. Gl'bgolyb was not going to be happy. The fact that both of his quadrants broke up with him in the last few days only added to the fuel of the young troll's anger, but that was soon to change.

The violetblood ran to where he saw the beast disappear in a last-ditch effort to feed his ex-moirail's lusus, but he came to a screeching halt when his nose, much stronger than those of less noble blood, picked up on an unusual scent. It was mammalian, that was for sure, but he didn't recognize it as one of the many creatures he's brought down during his career of killing lusii. The only other option would be... oh god. The young troll had to fight back a scream of joy. He was going to be famous! Just wait until everyone finds out that he captured an alien!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eridan meets the duo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not a long chapter. I swear I didn't lie lol.

Eridan crept through the tall grass that covered the forest floor. He would be lying if he said that he held even the slightest hint of apprehension. With his trusty rifle and impeccable aim, he was in no danger if the alien were to get violent. His confidence caused him to be a bit louder than he anticipated, but he shrugged it off, thinking that his target was too dumb to understand what the noise meant. Its scent was steadily growing stronger, alerting the hunter that he had almost reached his prey. He had just begun to devise a plan to capture it before he was interrupted from his thoughts.

"I'd come out and face me if you know what's good for you."

While he would never say it out loud, the troll had to admit that he was practically shivering with fear. He took out his rifle and tried to look threatening before entering the clearing where he assumed the alien stood. His attempt failed, however, when he saw that the man(?) was almost double his height. His second realization was that there were actually two aliens instead of one, and they were most definitely not trolls. The gun pointed at his head distracted him from noticing very much besides that they were pink and lacked horns.

"Drop the gun," said the taller of the two.

Any thoughts of fear suddenly evaporated from his mind. No one tells Eridan Ampora what to do. In a burst of adrenaline, he fired a shot at the alien who spoke to him, only for it to be reflected back at him. He barely dodged the beam of pure energy before it hit the tree behind him. It was at that moment that he realized all of his methods of attack would be absolutely useless against his technologically superior enemy. The only thing he could think to do at this point was to talk his way out, which, unfortunately, was one of his weakest points.

"So, hehe, howw does that shield a your's wwork? I'm assumin' it makes polymers out a the carbon in its envvironment?" he asked nervously.

"Uh, yeah, actually. But you didn't do what I said. Drop the gun."

He dropped the gun.

"Now, what is the square root of e?" The elder asked.

The troll was baffled as to why the man would want to know that, but he answered. "1.6487212707-" The man cut him off before he could get any further.

"I think I might have just found a kindred spirit."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit longer than the rest, but still pretty short. Would anyone reading this trainwreck be more interested in short chapters daily or longer chapters bi or tri-weekly?

In truth, Rick did not give a flying fuck about the scrappy troll standing in front of him. He just wanted to get the sopor and go, and who else would be better to help than someone who uses it every day? He had to admit though, he was impressed by the fish-like boy's intelligence. He could be useful in the future... no. Rick refused to get attached. One bumbling idiot was enough to carry around. So what if he knew a few things. It was nothing compared to Rick's vast intellect.

"So..." Rick started. "You have any idea where two humans could get some sopor?"

"Of course!" Eridan replied, eager to please anyone who showed even the slightest hint of interest in him. "Wwe can just go to my hivve! I havve plenty ovver there."

"Then lead the way," Rick had to fight back a smirk. Everything was going to plan. But of course, Morty had to bump in.

"Wait, um, trolls sleep in that stuff, right? How will you be able to sleep?"

Eridan puffed out his chest, eager to show off his highblood status. "You see, human," He began, already remembering the name the tall one called its species. "I am a vvioletblood. I'm pretty much royalty. I can just order a neww batch."

Rick and Morty rolled their eyes. What a cocky motherfucker. This was going to be a longer night than he imagined.

-

Eridan was ecstatic, any memories of his recent failure gone. He just befriended some actual, honest-to-gods aliens! Capturing them and turning them into the empire was out of the question, but he was still excited to meet real aliens. His mind started racing. Should I try to talk to them? What should I say? His thoughts were answered when the older one started talking.

"So, what's sopor like?" Rick asked him.

"Trolls sleep in sopor because it calms us dowwn and takes awway our nightmares," Eridan replied.

"No, like, what's it like when you eat it?" Rick asked again, annoyance building.

"Oh, I'm not quite sure. I'vve never tried it before, but I knoww someone who ha-"

"Great! How about you take us to this person? I wanna know what I'm getting into."

Eridan started to panic. He couldn't lose this opportunity! He did the only thing he could think of. "Wwell, you see... Gamzee HATES vvisitors... It wwouldn't be a good idea for ya'll to go to his hivve. Might get hurt," he lied. The crisis was averted, but Eridan was growing impatient.

"Wwe should head ovver to my hivve before the sun comes up. Don't wwanna burn alive, haha... ha," he said awkwardly.

"Oh geez, um, did you say we might burn alive?" the short one asked fearfully.

"Yeah, er... that's wwhat I said," Eridan thought he might just die of embarrassment.

The trio walked in a tension-filled silence until they finally reached the shoreline, where a small but expensive-looking boat was parked.

"Wwell, hop in!"

-

Morty was not looking forward to this. He had hated water for as long as he can remember, so obviously he was terrified to ride in a tiny boat across a massive ocean. He was terrified of being on the hostile planet period. The boy they had met seemed to be friendly enough but Ricks's warning about the locals was still stuck in his mind. What if he suddenly flipped out and tried to kill them? The teen started to feel sick to his stomach.

"C'mon Morty, we don't have all day!" Rick shouted from the boat. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice his two companions had already climbed into the boat.

Well, here goes nothing, he thought to himself as he crawled in after them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter looked a lot longer in my notes. I might combine some chapters in the future just to make them longer. These notes are just going to comment about the length of the chapters aren't they lmao

The boat ride was long. Really long. It was a miracle that Morty didn't throw up at any point during it or Rick would have teased him to hell and back. He already was to a point.

"You feelin' okay there, buddy?" Rick asked with a sinister smile on his face. It was clear to him that Morty wasn't feeling too great and he planned to milk it for all it was worth. Eridan was too busy manning the boat to notice, but Morty was still terrified that he'd notice and kick him off for being too weak or something.

"I don't think I evver caught ya'll's names," The young troll brought up from the front of the boat. Rick sighed.

"I'm Rick, and this dumbass over here is Morty," Rick said while punching the younger's arm.

"Hey..." Morty replied sheepishly, too embarrassed to defend himself further. This gained a chuckle out of Eridan, much to Morty's displeasure.

Soon they arrived at the tiny island Eridan called home. On that island were the remains of a massive ship. A pirate ship, Morty noted. He had to admit it looked pretty cool, even if the person living there was not so much. The troll parked the boat on the island and ushered the pair out onto the shore. Morty let out a sigh of relief. He didn't think he could stand being on that cramped boat on the raging ocean any longer.

"Wwell, here wwe are. Hivve swweet hivve," Eridan welcomed them. Morty was a bit confused as to why Eridan kept referring to his house as a hive, but he just brushed it off as a troll thing. The trio climbed up the ladder placed on the side of the ship and entered from the deck. The best way to describe the inside of the ship was grandiose. There were ornate chandeliers hanging from practically every room, and plush carpets and furniture decorated the place he assumed to be the living room. The style reminded Morty of those old gothic cathedrals in Spain and other parts of Europe.

"Stay here wwhile I get the sopor pack," Eridan requested before leaving the room. The two humans waited about 5 minutes for him to return. He was holding a medium-size package full of what they assumed to be sopor.

"This is highly compressed sopor; all you gotta do is add wwater. I wwould suggest breaking off a small piece before addin' the wwater or you might risk floodin' your entire room. I'vve made that mistake before and trust me, it wwasn't fun to clean up," the troll warned. He handed the package to Rick.

"Nice. So, we should really be going now..." Rick said, opening a portal.

"WWAIT!" Eridan shouted in panic. "You knoww... I don't havve much goin' on here, and you already said I wwas pretty smart... so maybe I could, you knoww, come wwith you?" Rick scoffed. "You already saww howw good of an aim I'vve got! Evven if I wwas shootin' at you..."

"Hmm. Let's see, how about you join me and Morty on a mission, and if you can prove you are actually useful, I'll let you come back to Earth with me," Rick offered, not expecting him to actually be competent. Even if he is just a pathetic kid desperate for attention, he could be an extra pair of hands.

The duo could see the pure joy radiating from Eridan's face before he regained his posture. "I suppose that wwould wwork," he answered.

"Well c'mon then!" Rick yelled before walking into the swirling green... stuff. The young troll tentatively stepped through the portal, leaving his old life behind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, a semi-long chapter for once! I hope ya'll enjoy it

The trio stepped out onto a desert-like planet. The orange sun was blazing down onto the black sand. The colors reminded Eridan of the volcanoes on the islands near Feferi's home. She was a tropical breed of seadweller, built for warm, shallow waters, while he was made for colder, deeper waters. But he didn't want to think about her right now. Their breakup was still fresh on his mind. Back to the situation at hand. Eridan wondered what they were doing here. Morty started to ask but Rick shushed him. Eridan assumed that the human wanted him to figure out what to do on his own. He saw a building in the distance, black just like the sand.

"Is this wwhere wwe need to go?" the troll wondered.

"Why are you asking me?" Rick answered. This made Eridan upset.

"I'm just usin' my only source a information to make the most rational decision," he huffed. "Wwhat else am I supposed to do? Stand here?" Rick smirked.

"I like the attitude. Yeah, that's where we're going." Rick told the troll. Morty has been staying silent for the most part, Eridan noticed. The walk would be pretty long, so he tried to make conversation with him.

"So, Morty, wwas it? Wwhy did you decide to come along?" Eridan only seemed to succeed in offending the teen.

"I "decided to come along" because I'm Rick's partner. What, were you wondering why I wanted to come when I was so useless?" Morty responded aggressively.

"Yeesh, all I did wwas ask you a question. Someone's got self-esteem issues." Eridan said while rolling his eyes.

"Break it up you two, we're only halfway there and I don't feel like listening to your bullshit schoolgirl fight."

-

Morty felt awful the second the words left his lips. He was just angry and didn't want to be there. To be fair, Eridan was kind of a dick back, but he knows that he shouldn't have said it in the first place. He was about to apologize but Rick stepped in to stop the fight before he got the chance. It would have just been awkward if he tried afterward.

-

After a few more minutes of silence, they reached their destination. Rick stepped back and let Eridan do the work. Rick could tell it was a high-security gromflomite base and it would have been easy to just break in, get the processing chip, and leave, but he wanted to give Eridan the chance to show off. This piece of technology was incredibly important for Rick's latest invention, and he didn't have the part to make it himself.

Eridan approached the door and placed his hand on the scanner. It obviously didn't work, and Rick wanted to make it clear.

"Did you really think that would work?" he asked incredulously. In reality, he knew exactly what the boy was doing, but he planned to criticize every move the troll made to see if he had the guts to work with him.

-

"Obvviously not, but I need to knoww wwhat I'm wworkin' wwith before I start tearin' thin's apart," Eridan answered. "Hmm, seems like this scanner wworks wwith DNA rather that fingerprints. The inhabitants must havve some sorta claws or something," he observed. He turned around quickly. "Do you happen to havve any tools on you, by any chance? I need somethin' to take this devvice apart wwith." He was aware that he was being tested, so he tried to explain all of his reasoning to Rick so he would know why he was doing the things that he did. He was terrified that he'd do something that made sense to him but would come off as stupid because the human didn't know why he was doing it.

"Here you go," Rick said while tossing Eridan a small device. It was basically the tool equivalent of a Swiss army knife.

Eridan immediately got to work. He began by unscrewing the panel from the front then he started to pull out and rearrange the wires. "This probably has a heat detection system to make sure no one tampers wwith it, but my blood is really cold 'cause I'm a vvioletblood, so I don't gotta wworry about that," he reassured. It took him a few minutes to get it done, but he eventually got the door open. "After you."

The first thing Eridan did upon entering the building was pull out his pistol. It had the same silent laser system as Ahab's Crosshairs but was more portable. He only really uses the rifle when he wants to look badass (which usually falls flat). He immediately started shooting any cameras he saw before he deemed it safe to continue.

"So, wwhere are wwe goin' and wwhat are wwe lookin' for?" Eridan asked.

"We're looking for a processor chip in the center of the base. It's about the size of your palm. I'll show you when we get there," Rick responded.

The rest of the way was surprisingly easy, just shooting cameras and making their way to the room. It wasn't until they arrived at the room in question that they faced opposition. The gromflomite soldier came from behind, so that had no warning before that first gunshot rang. Normally they would have taken any intruders into custody but they were told to kill on sight if they encountered Rick Sanchez. Thankfully the shot missed, but the three were still caught off guard. Secretly, Eridan was ecstatic. This was his chance to show off.

He started shooting at the gromflomites. He started with the weakest looking ones and worked his way up. He shot with precision, every laser landing exactly where he planned, and expertly dodged the incoming fire, weaving between bullets so fast it was hard to see him. He finished them off in no time. There was nothing left to commemorate the accomplishment besides a pile of smoking corpses.

-

Rick had to say, he was not expecting that. He was hoping they wouldn't get caught because he was too lazy to do all of the work when it came to fighting, and it seemed his wish got granted. Maybe the kid could actually be useful...

"I'm impressed. That was quite the marksmanship. Now let's get that chip and head back to Earth, motherfuckers!"

"Wwell, I still havve to find a neww orphaner and explain the situation to my friends first."

"Shut up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mentioning of Eridan wanting to explain all of his thoughts was my first go at hinting he's autistic. I myself am autistic, but I'm a girl and I know it often differs greatly between males and females on the spectrum. I'm mostly basing it off of my own experience, so please tell me if you think something is off. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jammed out to some Jinjer while writing this

Morty wasn't really liking the new kid so much. Sure, he was smart, but that's not all that makes up a person. He seemed kinda rude and arrogant at the same time. It hurt to see how quickly Rick warmed up to Eridan when he still only barely treated Morty like a human being. He guessed that he'd just have to work harder to prove that he was worthy of Rick's respect.

-

Eridan immediately jumped on his husktop after they retrieved the chip. He started scrolling through his contacts to see who he should let know that he was leaving. Vriska, absolutely not. Karkat, yes. And Feferi. This was going to be hard, but he felt it was necessary.

\--  caligulasAquarium [CA] began trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] \-- 

CA: so   
CA: uh   
CA: im leavvin   
CA: i need a neww orphaner   


\-- caligulasAquarium [CA] ceased trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] \-- 

Wow that was shitty.

"Hurry up! We don't have all day to watch you sit around and chat," Rick yelled across the room while snooping through Eridan's stuff.

Eridan sighed and clicked on Karkat's trollian tag.

\--  caligulasAquarium [CA]  began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] \-- 

CA: hey dumbass   
CG: WHAT'S UP, DIPSHIT?   
CA: im leavvin and i dont knoww if im comin back   
CG: WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? SOLLUX CAN JUST USE HIS WEIRD COMPUTER SHIT TO FIND YOU, YOU KNOW?   
CA: no i mean im leavvin alternia   
CG: AND HOW THE FUCK DO YOU PLAN TO DO THAT?   
CA: it a long story   
CA: i just wwanted to say bye to you before i go   
CG: WELL, I'M FLATTERED.   
CG: SO, THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING.   
CG: I'M GONNA MISS YOU, MAN.   
CA: aww you do care about me   
CG: YEAH, I DO.   
CA: wwell im gonna miss you too   
CG: NOW GO AHEAD AND LEAVE BEFORE I START CRYING, ASSHOLE.   
CA: wwill do   
CA: bye kar   


\-- caligulasAquarium [CA] ceased trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG] \--

Eridan sighed while leaning back in his chair. He was going to miss those late nights spent just talking about everything he couldn't talk to Fef about. Kar was probably his closest friend besides her. While he never had a true flush crush on the angry troll, he had to admit he imagined what being red with him would be like before he fell in love with Fef. He had gotten over his crush of her fairly easily, but his rejection still hurt to think about.

"Finally. Took you some time," Rick responded with little regard to the troll's emotions.

Eridan understood the permanence of his actions. When his hive was found empty it would probably be destroyed and his lusus given to another troll. He was really going to miss seahorsedad, but he was also excited to have such a unique opportunity. Rick opened a portal and the three of them stepped through.

-

Morty, Rick, and Eridan arrived in the Smiths' garage.

"So," Rick began. "I need to make the hardware that this chip is needed for and I could use some help."

"Oka-" Morty was interrupted.

"I wasn't talking to you. Go watch TV or masturbate or something."

Morty could barely hide the hurt on his face. Eridan noticed and gave him a pitying look but didn't say anything. He sulked back to his room without an argument.

How did he get replaced so easily? He thought it was Rick and Morty forever. He fought the urge to cry. He knew it was unfair to get mad at Eridan; it wasn't his fault that Rick loves him. He still couldn't help but feel jealous.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, a chapter that's not ridiculously short

Eridan heard a door open and close not too long after they got back. A few hours later the door could be heard again.

"I'm home!" a woman's voice shouted. Eridan wondered who this was. He wasn't aware of anyone else living at the residence.

"Hi Beth!" another, likely male voice yelled back. Had he been in the house the whole time? What was going on? Conversation muffled by the garage walls could be heard between the two.

Rick sighed. "I forgot about them. I guess they have to know about you too. C'mon, let's go upstairs," He told Eridan. The boy followed the older man up the garage stairs and out the door.

This was not how he was expecting the house to look like. He assumed it would be similar to the garage: cold, dark, and covered in experiments. Instead, it was oddly clean and bright. Eridan flinched when he saw the sunlight coming through the windows, but quickly reasoned that it should be safe to be around if it was let in in the first place. They seemed to have entered the preparationblock. There was another human standing there, presumably preparing food. Was it the family's lusus? It did have pale hair and skin...

"Wwhat's your lusus doin'?" Eridan asked. This got its attention. It turned around.

"Oh! Hi, da- um, who's this?"

-

Beth was confused, to say the least. What was the thing standing with Rick and why did it call her a lusis? lusus? She could tell it was pretty young so she tried to have a kind tone when talking to him.

"Hey, sweetheart. This is Eridan. He'll be staying with us for a while," Rick responded with little interest. Okay. That answered practically nothing. She brushed it off, assuming her father would explain in more detail at dinner.

"Hi, Eridan! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Beth," she greeted, holding out her hand for him to shake.

-

Eridan accepted the handshake. Part of him was annoyed about being treated like he's a child, but the part that basked in any kind of positive attention heavily outweighed the other. Normally the troll would refuse to associate with anyone wearing red because it would indicate that they have red blood, but all the humans he's met so far have the same undertones in their skin. He could only assume that that meant they had the same blood color and clothing was not an indicator of it.

Eridan straightened his back. "It's nice to meet you too," he responded. He wanted to make a good first impression on the people he'd be living with. He already seemed to start off on a bad foot with the yellow human, so he hoped to do better with his blood relatives.

"Oh! You should meet my husband and kids!" Beth offered enthusiastically. "Everyone come to the kitchen! Rick has someone you should meet!" She shouted.

The first person to arrive was a male about the same age as Beth. He was definitely related to Morty. They had the same brown hair and lack of confidence. The only thing they didn't share was their eyes. The new person, along with Beth, had light brown eyes while Morty had ice blue eyes like Rick. He immediately put his hands on his hips and adopted an angry expression.

"Rick! I thought I told you not to bring any more of your science experiments into the house!" Wow. What a nice introduction. Eridan felt flattered by the man's kindness.

"You can't tell me to do shit," Rick said before taking a sip from his ever-present flask.

"I am NOT a "science experiment!" I am Eridan Ampora, a vvioletblood from the planet Alternia!" Eridan shouted indignantly. He expected the brunette to cower in fear when he learned of his blood status, but instead, he looked disturbed.

"This alien you brought home has violet blood!?" He asked. This is when Eridan realized things wouldn't be the same here as they were on Alternia. Apparently blood status meant nothing here. He pretty much just lost all of his power in one fell swoop. He tried to look angry but he was mostly just horrified.

"What's going on? I heard yelling," a disinterested voice came from the stairs. Down came a girl with, was that red hair? How interesting. She looked up from her palmhusk to see what was going on.

"Woah. Did grandpa Rick bring home an alien? Cool," the girl said.

"Guys, this is Eridan. He's going to be staying with us for a while. I expect you to treat him like he was one of us," Beth told the others. She turned to him. "This is my husband Jerry," she said, pointing to the man. "And this is my daughter Summer," she added, pointing to the fiery-haired girl. "I'm assuming you've already met Morty?" she asked.

"Yeah, wwe didn't get along too wwell. That's probably wwhy he's not dowwn here yet," Eridan replied.

"I'm sorry! I'm sure things will get better between you two soon," Beth encouraged. "Now, because Eridan's our guest, he will get to choose what we're eating tonight."

Eridan felt trapped. What kinds of foods did humans eat? Normally he didn't mind getting attention, but right now it just felt suffocating.

Summer seemed to pick up on his worry. "I don't think he knows Earth foods. How about we just get pizza?" she offered. Eridan sent her a small smile in gratitude that she returned.

Eridan and Rick returned to the garage until the pizza arrived. The family came together at the dining table, including Morty. Beth made them sit together in what Eridan could see as a clear attempt at getting them to get along.

"Wwhat is this "pizza" stuff?" Eridan asked. He wanted to know what was on his plate before he ate it.

"It just dough, tomato, cheese, and pepperoni," Summer answered. Eridan didn't know what pepperoni was but he assumed it was fine to eat. Eridan was about to take a bite before Rick stopped him.

"Before anyone eats, we need to say grace." Once again, Eridan didn't know what this meant, but he guessed it was some kind of joke based on the laughter it received. Everyone else started eating so the troll took a bite. That... that was pretty good. Not as good as some Alternian foods, but definitely better than others.

"So, Eridan, how old are you?" Beth asked.

"I'm six and a half," Eridan responded proudly. This was met with confused looks.

"About Morty's age," Rick filled in.

The rest of dinner was spent in awkward silence when everyone realized it would be hard to converse when no one knew what the other was talking about. Everyone was starting to finish when Eridan spoke up.

"Wwhat block wwill I be sleepin' in tonight?" he asked. He was once again met with confusion. "The four wwalled livvin' spaces?"

"Oh, I didn't think about that," Beth answered. "Morty, would you mind sharing your room with Eridan?"

"Um..."

"It's fine. I can just sleep on the three cushioned sitting apparatus." Beth was able to make out what he meant this time.

"Are you sure? I'm sure Morty wouldn't mind," Beth tried again.

"Really, it's okay," Eridan insisted. He started to feel guilty after seeing the disappointment on the teen's face. He thought he didn't like him? Humans sure were weird.

Summer helped Jerry do the dishes while Beth got the bedding for Eridan and set up the couch. Beth got home from work pretty late so everyone was already prepared for bed by the time she was done, which meant no distractions for Eridan. The young troll tried to prepare himself for anything, which included having to sleep when no sopor was available. He had the added bonus of not having a source of nightmares on Earth, so he didn't think he would have much trouble. He was wrong. That wasn't the reason he couldn't sleep, though. He was just homesick. He missed seahorsedad and Karkat and Feferi. While he didn't regret his choice, he still had trouble adjusting to his new life.


End file.
